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Former Centennials player and assistant coach Bob Dever is back in the BC Hockey League after being hired by the Trail Smoke Eaters as an assistant coach.

Dever’s hiring gives the Smoke Eaters even more of a Merritt flavour as Dever, coach and GM Bill Birks and recently-hired scout Joe Quewezance all served as assistant coaches to former Cents coach and GM Al Glendinning at various points between 2002 and 2008.

Here’s the release from the Smokies website:

TRAIL — The Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL are pleased to announce the hiring of Bob Dever as an assistant coach.

Dever comes to Trail from Miskolci of the Hungarian MOL professional league. He guided the club to a semi-final appearance in the 2010-11 season.

Dever and Smokies head coach/GM Bill Birks were teammates for one season with the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials in the late 1980s, after which point Dever got into coaching, holding assistant coach positions in the BCHL both with the Centennials and Vernon Vipers as well as a head coaching stint with the KIJHL’s Creston Valley Thunder Cats.

“He’s spent the last three years coaching in Hungary but wanted to be a little closer to home. It’s a perfect fit,” Birks said.

“He’s got many contacts across North America, and a lot of different ideas which I’m more than willing to bring into the fold here.”

Dever will be moving to Trail early next week and will be with the club for training camp August 22nd-24th at the Cominco Arena.

For more information, contact the Trail Smoke Eaters office at 250.364.9994.